Jackson Bauer no longer plays offense for Naperville North, but that hasn’t stopped him from getting his hands on the ball.
That’s especially true when the senior defensive end plays Naperville Central, and there’s a good reason for that.
“When I first moved to Illinois from Texas, initially I was in a Central neighborhood,” Bauer said. “So up until middle school, I played and was really good friends with a lot of these Central guys.
“Then I moved and ended up going to North. So every time I play Central, I got a little chip on my shoulder and want to do great.”
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Bauer has done a, well, great job of doing just that. For the second time in as many games against the Redhawks this season, Bauer made a huge defensive play, and this time it sparked the Huskies to victory.
Bauer knocked down an attempted pitch from Naperville Central quarterback Chris McCormack, picked up the loose ball and returned it 10 yards to the Redhawks’ 15-yard line late in the first quarter.
Three plays later, teammate Cole Arl scored on a 3-yard run to give the Huskies an 11-point lead in an eventual 31-3 nonconference victory in the regular-season finale at Memorial Stadium.
“He’s a kid who really wants to play tight end, and we moved him to D-end, and he’s done a great job,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said. “He knows his role, and he’s really played well against Naperville Central.”
Indeed, this wasn’t the first time Bauer has shined against his crosstown rivals. He returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown in the first meeting on Sept. 30. That was the only score for the Huskies (7-2) in that 10-7 overtime loss.
Bauer potentially could have scored again Thursday, but initially he thought the play would be ruled an incomplete pass. It wasn’t, and Bauer was tackled from behind.
“I did think it was an incomplete pass at first,” Bauer said. “Luckily the ball bounced right back in my hands. Obviously, my teammates were yelling at me to run. By that time, it was just a little too late.”
Even so, Bauer chose to focus on the significance of getting the turnover, the first of three forced by the Huskies.
“I know those guys are going to rip on me a little bit, but it’s all good,” Bauer said. “We’re all a brotherhood. I’m just happy that the ball bounced back in my hands and I was able to get that fumble recovery. It was a huge momentum change for us.”
Indeed, the Redhawks (6-3) didn’t recover. They had scored first on a 22-yard field goal by Logan Ellison but didn’t threaten again as the Huskies put up 31 unanswered points.
Arl had his first two-touchdown game, Nathan Jacobs and Danny Eloe also had rushing touchdowns, David Olano kicked a 38-yard field goal and quarterback Aidan Gray threw for 148 yards and rushed for another 78.
Drendel was pleased with the defensive effort, which included interceptions by Cole Clemens and Luke Williams, and was happy for Bauer.
“He should have scored again,” Drendel said. “But he’s a guy who has had to play a position that he’s grown into, and he’s figuring out ways to make big plays for us.”
Bauer, who will not play college football, has accepted that defense is where he must make such plays.
“I played tight end up through sophomore year,” he said. “Last season I got moved to D-end, but I guess I’ve just proven that I’ve still got a little bit of an offensive player in me.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.